Praying God's Word

I like to think back, ponder actually, over the last little while of my life now and then, and see if I've learned anything or discovered something new about myself (or others).  The thing that I am most excited about lately is learning, after 30 some years of praying, how to pray God's word.  It's not a new concept to me, but for some reason it is hitting home.

I know that words are powerful.  We teach our children that once you say something, you can't pull it back.  It's out there and for good.  I'm not always the best example of speaking kindly or positively.  In fact, if I was to really think about it they could probably pop some popcorn and sit back to watch a full-length show when I open my mouth sometimes...but hopefully my kids can learn from my mistakes.  Maybe me, too.

Anyways, if my words are powerful, just imagine the power of my Creator's words.  In various studies I have been encouraged to use the bible as the model for my own prayers, my prayer about others, and even to pray for events.  For many years now I have felt compelled to pray for other countries, but honestly,  rarely do because I don't know how or what to pray.  Countries are big and have lots of aspects to cover!  The other day I chose to pray for the U.S., and then asked God to lead me to a specific scripture.  He did, and I ended up using a psalm to pray that God would raise up prayers within the U.S. for the U.S.  I wrote out the prayer, and then prayed it aloud.  A few days later I reread that prayer, and was blown away.  My words and my heart were entwined with God's thoughts and heart, and it was really exciting to read.  These weren't my thoughts, but they were spoken in words that i understood:  mine.

To some this might seem elementary, to others this may be a new concept.  Regardless, it is really exciting to me and I hope that some of my excitement might rub off on someone else.

Thanks for reading.

A quick glimpse of reality during real life

Tris and I went to the movies tonight.  We watched "The King's Speech" in one of the new malls in a nearby city.  Great movie (recommended, although not a lot of action), good company (went with friends), and excellent venue (the Premier...lazy-boys, delivery service to your chair, blankets...all for $3.50).  It was a good, spontaneous way to spend a free evening, and traffic was great, which is a bonus in a world where the traffic can make or break a good idea.

While I was lazing in my armchair, my mind wandered from the movie a bit.  I began to think of the first few times that we went to the movies here in Lippo Village.  I remember how it was a bit of a treat to get away from reality for a while, and to put my head into someone else's life if only for 1 1/2 hours.  I'd think to myself "wow, you're sitting in a movie theatre in Indonesia, halfway across the world, and when the lights go back on you won't be heading outside to garden on Copperfield Road...you'll be heading to your new house in Danau Biru."  Actually,  I wasn't THAT far into someone else's head or those thoughts wouldn't have had a place to land!

I had the same thought tonight, of how here we were, sitting in a movie theatre in Indonesia, watching a movie about an English king and an Australian, in a brand new, shiny mall.  I was no longer trying to get out of my head and escape reality for a few minutes, but I was realizing the irony of where I was sitting.  I will never get over how there is always poverty just a few steps away from any big mall in Jakarta and the area we live in.  Always.  What influenced this post specifically is when we were driving home, discussing the movie and the history surrounding it, I saw a man.  We were rounding a bend towards an on-ramp, in an area where people are less likely to be found.  He was squatting next to the road, a white plastic bag that had probably been thrown from someone's car window billowing near his knees, and its contents spread out in the dust so he could sort through the rubbish to find something to eat.  I remember pausing for a split second, watching him rub his eyes (it almost looked as if he was wiping away tears like a 2 year old would do), and then continuing on with my discussion.  For some reason that image stuck in my mind, and is likely to return again.

It's those split second moments in my life that cause me to think again, to check what I'm doing with my days, and to appreciate the goodness in my life.

Thanks for reading.

Matthew's News

 Matthew's had an exciting 10 days.  Two Saturdays ago,  after much cajoling of his parents ("Seriously, I need braces really soon" "Mom, have you made my dentist appointment yet?""Can't wait until next Saturday when I get my braces on"--parent's response:  "crazy teenager"), Matthew had a pair of braces installed.  No more teeth have been pulled, but the orthodontist here says she'll wait to see what his teeth look like when the braces are removed.  Lucky kid has inherited his mom's small jaw and someone else's large teeth.  

Now I see why they'd look at a woman's teeth in the old days when determining whether or not she was a good candidate for marriage.  They weren't looking for cavities and healthy gums, they were looking to see what the potential "teeth" combination might be in future babies.  I'll have to remember that when my kids begin bringing home 'special friends.'  "Hi, I'm Matt's mom.  Can I have a look at your teeth?  That's right, give me a big smile. Now open wide..." 

Matt's new look

or "You're here to pick up Abby?  I remember hearing about you...you came and talked to my husband {Tris insists Abby's not going out with a guy unless the guy comes and asks him first}.  Give me a smile...(flashlight shines in his eyes)...ummmm, is that a baby tooth still?  Aren't you 20?  I'm sorry, but this just isn't going to work, because Abby's baby teeth never wanted to fall out either, and she's needed orthodontic intervention.  My grandchildren don't need to go through the same dental trauma.  You'll have to get back into your Lamborghini and head on home.  Sorry."

I'm so glad my parents never looked in Tris' mouth, because although our teeth aren't the greatest match, I really like having him around:)

Matthew's other exciting news is that he has saved up half of the money for a new camera (we promised to contribute the other half) and yesterday went out and bought himself a new Canon EOS 1000D.  Smaller than mine but takes brilliant photos.  Wouldn't you know it, I'm still learning about the manual features on my EOS 40D that we bought in May 2008, and in less than 24 hours he's figured out half of the features on his camera and then some.  We've decided that it's in my best interest if we go on photo dates, where we focus on ONE feature at a time and I take an hour's worth of photos using that one feature.  Of course, he'll teach and I'll be the one learning.  Regardless, it'll be much more fun that learning from a book, which I've been doing periodically.


Here are some examples of things Matt has taken with his point and shoot.  He's really good with close-ups and as parents, we think he has a good eye.

On the way to Canada

a little bit of Germany in Canada

dandelion fluff

in Grandma's Garden

Abby's model of Joan of Arc burning at the stake

Simply Celiac In Indonesia

One of the things that I have always tried to stick to when writing this blog is to keep it simple, light and sometimes funny. To complain about the culture I live in and the life I have is disrespectful to those around me, and to those back home, it would make them try to convince me to come home:) I think that, for the most part, I've stuck to that. That's why it's been difficult to write a lot since we came home from Germany, because life for me hasn't been simple, or light...although it always finds a way to be funny.

Six weeks ago today I was standing in a doctor's office, a little cloudy from having been

temporarily drugged (voluntarily!) and a little hungry from not eating for the last 24 hours. I'd just had the last of many medical tests completed, and I was heading home to Indonesia the next day. The doctor, while handing Tris a business card with some handwriting on it, said in stilted English, "I cannot speak English, and you cannot speak German. This is what your wife has. You can go onto the internet and research how to care for this disease. Thank you for coming in." And that was that. We went back to our relative's home, packed up, celebrated a birthday and said our goodbyes, and drove off to the airport the next day.

For almost 2 years I've had some symptoms of "something," but I just didn't know what. It seems to have started when, as a fool, I ate some 'agar agar,' or green jello, in some slums in South Jakarta (I didn't want to be rude...I've since learned that it's ok to say no!). Immediately I became ill and was diagnosed with bowel infection...not uncommon here in Indonesia. That lasted for some time, and then life returned mostly to normal. Except, it never really did. From that point on I began to lose weight, lose hair, experience regular stomach issues, need to nap during the day, and to forget really simple things. Even though I'd exercise regularly in the gym and do outdoor sports, I never really improved in stamina and ability. I have to admit, I lost motivation to do a lot of things, probably because of the lack of energy I was experiencing. When I went to doctors here, they told me I had a variety of things: depression, overactive e.coli, chronic fatigue and one doctor, at least, told me he had NO idea what it was that was affecting me.

When I went to Canada this past summer, it seemed that I was ok. My energy seemed to return somewhat and my stomach didn't bother me nearly as much as it had before. Because of this, when I returned to Indonesia, I figured it was the heat that was getting to me. I tried to keep cool and although I'd managed in the past to "indo-fy" myself somewhat, keeping cool felt good. Still, it wasn't good enough. At one point my friend and I sat down at our laptops and decided that we'd figure out what was wrong with me. May I recommend to anyone reading this that you do NOT self-diagnose from the internet? When we were done, it seemed perfectly clear that I had parasites throughout my body that over time would crawl into my brain, live off my body, and eventually suck my will to live. Seriously.

It wasn't until I went to Germany that I realized that heat really had nothing to do with my condition. It was -10C and I was still feeling unwell. That's what lead me to my German family's local doctor, who within 2 hours took a variety of fluids from me, did an EKG and an ultrasound, and had me booked for 3 more tests within the next week. I must say, I was completely and utterly impressed with the German medical system.

Now, six weeks later, after having being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I try to live a life different from the one I have known. Although it's easiest to tell people that I'm allergic to gluten, it's much more complicated than that. Here's what I know about Celiac Disease, and yes, I learned most of it off the internet:)

Celiac Disease is a genetic, autoimmune disease that if undiagnosed can lead to a variety of complications within ones' organs, especially the small intestine. When I eat anything, ANYTHING, containing gluten, my body begins to create antibodies that somehow (haven't gotten that knowledgeable yet) cause the villi in my small intestine to flatten. It's through the villi that my body absorbs the majority of my nutrition, and so when they are flattened, my body has nothing to run on. Hence the loss of hair, weight and even of my mind sometimes!

When I tell people of my diagnosis, their first response is always "it's a good thing that you now know what's going on." I agree. However, there's more to knowing than just being aware of what I can and cannot eat. It seems my villi aren't really willing to stand up yet, and so now I'm at the point of trying to find competent medical intervention that would allow me to figure out how to gain some nutrition and gain some weight. God is good, and He's brought a friend into my life here in Indonesia who is a nutritionist. Not only that, but she has siblings with Celiac and was involved in the "re-nourishing" of a friend who was also in the tropics when she discovered she had the disease. As well, I've been in contact with an internal specialist in a nearby city, and although he is Indonesian, he speaks German and can therefore read my results from all the German doctors.

Without sounding whiny, which really, I do a lot inside my head (NO COKE?? NO more White Spot burgers, EVER???? No more bread/cinnamon buns/Chili's restaurant buffalo wings???), I have to admit, I am tired of chewing. It seems that I eat all day. Food seems to be a main priority as I figure out weekly what I can cook (ok, I admit it, what our helper can cook...with my irritating input over her shoulder nowadays), and even with careful planning, I still get grouchy with the lack of food in the house. Also, it seems that being lactose intolerant often comes hand-in-hand with CD, and I seem to have taken that on as well. Good bye ice cream, at least temporarily...and o boy, I am praying it is temporary!

The answer to my dilemma, which is food, seems to be careful planning, setting aside intentional cooking and eating times, and to remind myself that the majority of the world around me eats the same food...white rice..day in and day out, 365 days a year. In my home I at least have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, whole grains that do not contain gluten, even sugar and sweets. I can make popcorn, eat cookies made from special flours (some much more nutritious than wheat flour), cut an apple and dip it in peanut butter, and eat dark chocolate any time that I want. Even our helper and our driver cannot do that, so who am I to complain?

Ultimately, I am thankful for this disease. It is not cancer. It is not life-threatening if I manage my diet. I have choices. I am alive and I am mostly healthy. I am getting healthier and, with some proper intervention, will have the energy I once had. My brain, limbs, eyes and organs are all functioning and doing as they are supposed to. I feel sorry for myself now and then, especially when eating out with friends and I am only able to order the white rice when they're eating delicious, saucy, crunchy bits of everything under the sun, but I'm a big girl and although those panties are a little on the large side right now, I can still put them on and get on with life.

Thanks for reading.

ps. I'm still trying to figure out if there's a way that CD is 'triggered' but it seems to me that the bowel infection merely weakened my body enough for the CD to manifest. That's my personal, uneducated diagnosis and I'll stick with it until I learn something from someone who knows what's going on.

Jenny Turns 40

It's a little late, a month really, but I just want to wish my sister-in-law, Jennifer (or German 'Jenny') a happy 40th birthday. We were able to celebrate a bit with her, but on her actual birthday we flew out of Munich and she was at home, probably washing all of the dirty laundry we left behind:) I'm hoping she was wearing her birthday tiara while doing so.

Jen is my husband's youngest sister, and I actually knew her before I met Tris. We met in Tijuana, Mexico and were bunkmates for a few weeks. It was also there that I met Tris, but that's a story for another time. What I think is neat is that Jen and I have officially known each

other for more than half of our lives. Don't think 'old'...think 'loyal.' Jen has lived in Germany for years now, and it had been at least 3 years since we'd seen her last. Going to Germany and spending time in her house was a blessing. We spent time walking, talking, shopping, folding laundry, wrapping Christmas

presents, cooking and of course, eating together. One of the ways that Jen blessed me was how she really went out of her way to meet our needs as guests. Sometimes I wasn't even sure if I'd said something out loud, like "I need a new towel" and before you know it, there was a fresh towel waiting for me. While in Germany, I took advantage of having a modern medical system available to me, and headed to the doctor for a few tests. For each test or appointment, Jen would work her schedule around my needs as best as she could, and would come along to translate (also, her husband Christian was just as willing and gracious to do the same, and drove us around to so many places at all hours!). Definitely the hostess with the mostess!

This is just a way of saying thank you for your hospitality, Jen, and I hope that the first month of your 40th birthday was as full and as blessed as you deserve. To Christian, happy January birthday as well. We really appreciate you both!

Thanks for reading.